National Capital Region (NCR) Child Psychiatry Fellowship Research Program Offers Child Psychiatrists Prime Training Opportunity

Photo By Ricardo Reyes | From left to right: Ms. Jing Zhou, MS, Biostatistician; Dr. Alexander Rice, Ph.D., Scientist; Dr. Steven J Cozza, MD, COL (Ret.), Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics; Dr. Joscelyn Fisher, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor; and Mr. Evan Salerno, MA, Study Coordinator. These esteemed members are part of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. The Child and Family Program within the CSTS at USU concentrates on the psychological well-being of families, including both adults and children, who have experienced stressful situations, particularly within the military community. (DOD courtesy photo)  

BETHESDA, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES

08.28.2024

Story by Justine Cowan 

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

The Child and Family Program within the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) of the Uniformed Services University (USU) focuses on the psychological health of families, including adults and children, who have been exposed to stressful circumstances, and those in the military community. The National Capital Consortium Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP) Fellowship at WRNMMC is a two-year fellowship in which participants learn how to care for children, adolescents, and families. This past academic year (AY), for the first time, these two institutions (CAP and CSTS) collaborated – resulting in more published/presented academic contributions in one AY than the program has ever seen since it’s inception 30 years ago. This notable accomplishment sets a promising precedent for the future of the program.

Serving since 2006 as CSTS Associate Director is Dr. Steven J. Cozza. Cozza’s 40-year military career began with his undergraduate studies at the United States Military Academy, followed by medical school at George Washington University. He served 25 years of active duty in the U.S. Army, culminating as Chief of the Department of Psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

CAP Fellows’ Research and Accomplishments

Describing the CAP fellows research experience, Cozza said, “We give them the opportunity to develop research ideas and then work with the team to analyze and interpret the data,” he continued, “[Fellows] create scientific abstracts that they present to the junior and senior staff at our Center. This important work has been conducted with a group of scientists on our team, including Dr. Christin Ogle, Dr. Joscelyn Fisher, Dr. Alexander Rice, and Ms. Jing Zhou.”

In the last year, CAP fellows, mostly in conjunction with the CSTS, contributed one peer-reviewed and one non-peer-reviewed publication, seven scientific poster presentations, and 12 “podium talks” at academic conferences. These contributions directly support the mission of caring for the Nation’s military-connected children and families. CSTS and CAP plan to continue this collaboration into the future.

Reflecting on the past Cozza shared a story of U. S. Army CPT (Dr.) Steven P. Nemcek, a past CAP fellow. “He went above and beyond the basic requirements, working hard with the team at the Center to develop products and produce [high quality] results.” Nemcek’s journey is a testament to the program’s success. He is scheduled to give an oral presentation at the San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment in January 2025 based on research he conducted with the team during his training fellowship.

Nemcek served as an adult psychiatry resident (senior fellow) from 2019-2022 and a CAP fellow from 2022-2024. As a CAP fellow, he completed a project with CSTS staff. He coauthored a manuscript with CSTS scientists currently under review in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. The paper won the prestigious 2024 Midwest American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Douglas Mossman Research Award. It explored predictors of child and parent offender removal in substantiated incidents of child neglect.

Nemcek said, “it was a life-changing privilege to work with Dr. Christin Ogle and Dr. Stephen Cozza in the Child and Family Program at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress during my Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship training.” He continued, “As I continue my career in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, I find myself constantly drawing upon these lessons. The fellowship has taught me to appreciate how developmental behaviors are intricately woven into a child's life story. Understanding these behaviors in the context of a child's unique experiences, particularly within military families who face frequent relocations and parental deployments, has been crucial in developing effective treatment plans.”

Lt. Cmdr. Thanh T. Nguyen (Dr.), a National Capital Consortium (NCC) CAP fellow, reported, “My decision to complete my fellowship training at WR was driven by the Center's reputation for excellence in military psychiatry and its focus on the unique challenges faced by military families. I had already been familiar with the wonderfully knowledgeable and kind staff in the clinic, the same ones that inspired me to become a child psychiatrist.”

Maj. Matthew J. Greve (Dr.), Program Director of the CAP Fellowship, began his Army career in 2002 as a Respiratory Care Specialist at the 452nd Combat Support Hospital (USAR) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He serves as Program Director for the NCC CAP Fellowship Training Program.

Mrs. Chenille Johnson wears many hats in the military health system, including Health Systems Specialist in the Directorate of Behavioral Health, National Capital Consortium Social Work Child and Family Practice Fellowship Coordinator, NCC Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Coordinator, and WRNMMC Institutional Review Board Member. NCC currently represents the largest of the two programs, with the ability to accept up to 10 tri-service trainees. Ensuring the highest quality training, requires a team of experts and leaders to support the program. As CAP Program Coordinator, she is crucial in selecting, organizing and coordinating trainees’ scholarly presentations at regional, national, and international forums. She is also on the interview panel for the CAP Fellowship.

Dr. Ruth Edelman is a long-time CAP faculty member and child psychologist with the training program. She explained her role of teaching and supervising Cognitive Behavior Therapy cases and running the Journal Club. The Journal club provides an opportunity for fellows to review the principles of evidence-based medicine and critically evaluate the literature to make informed decisions about clinical care. Dr. Edelman has also been the Research and Scholarly Activity Champion for the Fellowship and Faculty. She has served in these roles for over 25 years.

Dr. Margaret Mckeathern (Capt. (Ret), MC, USN) is the CAP Fellowship Associate Program Director. She brings over 30 years of combined service and expertise in CAP to her current role. “She says, “Taking care of military families is so important. We take care of warfighter’s families so that the warfighter can do their job with the recognition of stresses that military children endure, military children are very resilient. We definitely see that.” She concluded, “There is something very special about child psychiatrists because we are able to use our knowledge of child and human development.”


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• Date Taken: 08.28.2024
• Date Posted: 08.28.2024 14:52
• Story ID: 479675
• Location: BETHESDA, MARYLAND, US